Star Wars Visionaries [Paperback]

Warren Fu (Author), Derek Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars (Dark Horse) | Publication Date: April 2, 2005

They've been responsible for some of the most dazzling and awe-inspiring visuals ever put to film, and now the concept artists behind the Star Wars prequels are bringing their considerable talents to comics. Just in time for Star Wars: Episode III, the wildly gifted mind of the Lucasfilm art department and visual effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic come together to tell their own Star Wars tales in this compilation of short stories. Given free reign to explore any and every aspect of the Star Wars universe, each artist offers a new twist or a deeper view into that galaxy far, far away. Nowhere else will you find a more pure or more different look at George Lucas's enduring creation than through the eyes of the Star Wars: Visionaries.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–In the introduction to this collection, J. W. Rinzler writes about the weekly Friday meetings with writer/director George Lucas and the concept artists of the movie The Revenge of the Sith. In those preproduction meetings, Lucas would toss around ideas and the artists would come up with visual representations. Although Lucas liked many of the concepts, he did not believe that all of them fit into his movie, so 10 of the artists use these pages to show off their styles and imaginative Star Wars scenarios, providing readers with intimate views by some of the key creators of a galaxy far, far away. The artists were given free reign to explore all aspects of the Star Wars universe; each tale offers a glimpse into or new twist on that galaxy. The emphasis is on art and character origins. The graphics range from gothic-looking watercolors to bright and dazzling paintings. The book is in full color, but there is a tendency toward dark, muddy hues and bright red highlights. Not just for fans of the movies, this compilation is an excellent resource for readers interested in how ideas, artwork, and printed material come together.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Ten of the artists who worked on the new Star Wars movie, The Revenge of the Sith, use these pages to show off their own artistic styles and imaginative Star Wars scenarios. Erik Tiemens presents a moody watercolor with gothic hints. Derek Thompson's tale is wordless but carries a strong and haunting narrative. Ryan Church utilizes a full page for each of his images. Although the volume is in full color, there is a tendency throughout toward muddy tones and fire-red highlights. The full story of the Siths isn't revealed, of course, but this is more than a simple movie promo. There's enough story value to hold interest before, during, and after fans see the film. Because the contributors work for Lucasfilms or Industrial Light & Magic, the book can also serve as an excellent resource for readers interested in how movie scenarios and printed material share author roots and narrative connections. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; Graphic novel edition (April 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593073119
• ISBN-13: 978-1593073114
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An accomplished writer, M. Zachary Sherman has penned comic scripts for Marvel, Radical, Image, and Dark Horse and is currently working on AmericaÂ’s Army: The Graphic Novel based on the popular video game (which he also wrote), Earp: Saint for Sinners at Radical as well as the second book in is SOCOM: SEAL Team Seven trilogy. Besides comics, ShermanÂ’s work has expanded over many platforms, ranging from video games like Rogue Warrior and SAW, feature film work and commercials. He attributes his visual writing style to having worked as a Digital Effects Artist at such companies as Industrial Light and Magic on films like the new Star Wars trilogy, the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Chronicles of Narnia. For RadicalÂ’s Shrapnel, he called upon his military background as a United States Marine to put a level of realism into the mix of sci-fi /combat action.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visionaries is AWSOME!, April 27, 2005

By 

Amethyst Ed (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars Visionaries (Paperback)

I saw this Trade Paperback in my local Comic Shop and realized it is a book of short stories that grew out of artwork that was "cut" from Episode 3.

Darth Maul. Grevious. Luke. Obi Wan. Wookies. And tons of fantastic Art. Out of the entire book one chapter kinda stinks. The Wat Tambor story kinda reminded me of Cheech Wizard or something. Not waht I thought Wat was going to look like in comics...

But thats it. The rest of the stories are fantastic! Loved the book. If you are a fan, and waiting patiently for Episode 3, this is a taste of things to come.

Enjoy!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to nir085's review, April 25, 2005

By 

G. Ocean - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars Visionaries (Paperback)

I have just read my Visionaries book and I would like to say that I 100% agree with everything nir085 says about the stories and the artwork.

The book is definately worth buying if you are a fan of Star Wars and the good stories make up for the ones that are not so good.

2.0 out of 5 stars good art.. bad stories, February 17, 2011

By 

ikeng (Indonesia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star Wars Visionaries (Paperback)

Sure the art was awesome! But besides the story about the origin of General Griveous (which is still too short) there's not much storyline to offer in this book.